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| This last weekend was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I posed as an “unapproachable teenager” for the weekend at a retreat in Texas. We wanted to see how the teens of three youth groups would treat me. Overall…they treated me like we thought they would. They avoided me, talked bad about me, made up rumors about me, and for the most part kept their distance from me…all while talking about seeking and saving the lost. What is it that makes us see the outside of the person before ever seeing the inside? Have we become so much like the world that we look at the quality of the person’s exterior before examining their heart? My first two years of college I grew my hair out for Locks of Love. Most people, after being told what I was doing, thought that donating my hair was a pretty cool thing. Before learning that…most people just cast me off as a bum or deadbeat. I got a lot of comments from people, after getting to know me, that they would have thought I was someone else. I learned a lot those 15 months about how we judge people by their exterior. In Matthew 23:25-28, Jesus talks about how the Pharisees are more concerned about cleaning their outsides to put on a face so that others would think they were clean through and through. Often it seems as though we apply that to others when we see them. When we start seeing each person as a creation of our Creator we will look past what they show themselves as and start to look at their heart and accept them as God’s creation and even help them become the perfection which God intends for them to be. Go back and read I John 4:7-20 carefully. God is love. God’s love is made perfect when we love others. The way I read it, God is made perfect in the eyes of this world when we show love to others no matter if we think they deserve it or not. God is perfect but the world does not see that unless we, His people, show it to them. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Jesus, Matthew 22:37-39 Ryan | | |
| I was walking past Chris Mitchell’s truck the other night and admiring his vast array of tools. I looked across the room at Billy Ellenburg and said to myself, “Self…I bet Billy has a lot of cool tools as well.” After a short conversation with myself I began to think about the tools of my trade…not that my tools make me any less of a man they are just different. I’m still new to this stuff but I feel I’m equipped to do the job that has been set in front of me: I have a pair of 10 year old brown loafers which are nothing like a fine wine…they have not gotten better with age. They are cracked and cannot be worn when it is wet out or they get waterlogged and begin to smell. I pretty much have two pairs of pants and then some dress clothes…Jeans and khakis. These go well with the handful or polo (style not brand) shirts that I have to wear to meetings and class. My accessories include a necklace that I have been wearing for about 4 years and 237 days, a bracelet that a Jamaican suckered me into buying in Paris, my graduation ring, an anklet that Jessica Mitchell made me months ago, a watch I hardly look at, and my beard that makes me look older than the teens I work with. I have a man-bag (satchel, messenger bag, whatever you want to call it) that broke this past Thursday that typically holds my laptop, book I’m currently reading, backup book in case I get board with said book, and the Good Book…my Bible I was given when I graduated from High School. Like my shoes, my Bible has seen many miles. Unlike my shoes, it has been rebound before and doesn’t smell bad. This is the Bible I used when sitting in my classes in college…so I have a lot of memories with it. I preached my first sermon here out of it. I teach out of it. I level projectors with it. I guess I listed this stuff to say…we all have different tools but we can do ministry with our tools. I can get jealous of Chris and Billy’s tools but those are what they have to work with to reach this world. Use the tools you have to bring God’s Glory to the people around you. Ryan | | |
| Nothing...Nothing...Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I (Paul) am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners (Paul), Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. – I Timothy 1:15-17
There is nothing you can do to make God love you less…
This is a hard thing for us to grasp. Often we flee from God when we do wrong because we think He is incapable and unwilling to love a dirty sinner like myself (Ryan). As one of the teens put it Wednesday evening, “We cannot fathom the love of God so it is hard to accept.” It is true, Ephesians 3:14-19 tells us that God’s love transcends all knowledge. We are incapable of completely grasping how wide, long, high, and deep is the love that God showed us on the cross. I might not be able to completely grasp it but I am sure going to accept it. There is no distance that you can go away from God that you cannot turn back around and be in His arms again.
Often, so very often, I (Ryan) fail in my attempts to do what God would like for me to do. “Worst of sinners…” I’m not sure if I’m ready to admit to that just yet but there is something about Paul’s confession that says, “I understand that I need God’s grace as much or more than anyone else.” Am I (Ryan) ready to make a bold confession like this, admitting that there is nothing I can do on my own to earn God’s love? In my feeble attempts to be a perfect child I realize that there is one thing that I need to be reminded of every time I fail…
…There is nothing I can do to make God love me less.
Ryan
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| The other day one of the ministers I work with called me into his office to ask me a question. "You've been here for almost five months now. How do you see this congregation in terms of evangelism?" The answer was simple, I didn't. It isn't that we aren't an active congregation...we do tons of things so that the world will know that we are here...but in terms of evangelism (in my mind...going into the world) we aren't doing it. I went on to explain that this isn't just a problem at Northview but a problem in the church as a whole.
This conversation led to a much longer conversation at our next elders-minister's meeting. We've realized that, as the LORD's children, we are commanded to share Him with others. This is an amazing command that we have lost sight of. I personally blame Constantine because if the institutionalization of the church. Because of this we have started seeing the building at "the church." We "go to church." We "do church." All the while we have forgotten that we are the Church.
Also because of this I believe that we have made this our home...the world that is. We have grown accustom to the world around us and see it as our existence. We exist for somewhere else and this is all just temporary. "This world is not my home, I'm just..." you can finish it. We forget that so often. We also forget that we're supposed to bring people with us. We neglect the relationships we have with the people all around us because we think we live here and forget that we are made for something different. We don't take advantage of the many opportunities we have to tell those around us about Jesus.
I was reading my bible this morning and got hit really hard by the Mac Truck of Truth. Jesus says something in the Gospel of John that sounds like a nice verse but is something that should worry us a bit. Jesus says, "If I be lifted up, I will draw the world to me." - John 12:32 - Why am I not drawing the world to Jesus? Am I lifting up my wants? My desires? Often I/we focus on ourselves and our location and forget that we told Jesus that we were dying to ourselves (The whole baptism thing), and we forget that we were made for something different (The whole heaven thing). John the Baptist was a pretty smart guy and I think we should learn something from him. In reference to Jesus he said, "He must increase, I must decrease." - John 3:30
I know it has been a while since I've updated but God has really put this on my heart and I am very excited about where Northview is going. The leadership is excited about evangelism and we're set out to change the world...I hope. Find ways to be lifting Jesus up to people around you. During the Christmas holiday is a great time to talk to people about Jesus...He had to be born to live, die, and be raised didn't He? Why not start with His birth to tell people about his death and resurrection. Going into all the world starts here friends...GO!
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| “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” – John 17:20-23
I read this passage this morning as I was finishing up the Gospel of John in my morning Bible reading…it made me think a lot.
Is the church unified today?
The more important question is…
Is the church today doing anything to really be unified today?
I have a lot of thoughts about what all is and has been going on or not been going on but I would like to hear what you think… | | |
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